Small individual computers are now extensively utilized in offices and the like, and many of these computers are connected to printers which normally operate at rather high speed and hence are rather noisy. Further, many of these printers are of the tractor-feed type in that they utilize a continuous web of paper sheets joined together through score lines so that the web is supplied in a stack whereby the joined sheets alternately fold back and forth on top of one another so as to permit the web of paper to be continuously fed through the printer. While this type of paper is widely used on computer printers, nevertheless the storing of the paper both as supplied to and discharged from the printer is oftentimes a problem in view of the inadequate storage space or shelving available for both the supply and discharged paper.
The above problems are even more acute in environments of the open office type, that is, office environments employing space-divider walls for dividing large open areas into smaller work areas. At the present time, the equipment which mounts on or is directly associated with the open office systems has not satisfactorily handled the problems associated with computer printers, specifically the problems of noise and paper handling.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to an improved work station associated with an open office system, which work station is designed for use with a computer including a printer, and is believed to significantly improve upon many of the prior disadvantages.
It is also an object of this invention to provide, as part of the improved work station, an improved cabinet structure for enclosing the printer and for facilitating the handling of paper as both supplied to and discharged from the printer.
In the computer work station of this invention, the work station includes a conventional upright wall panel which permits a horizontal work surface to be mounted thereon in a cantilevered fashion so as to permit the computer to be supported thereon. A printer cabinet is also mounted on the wall panel in cantilevered fashion so as to project therefrom in upwardly spaced relationship above the work surface. The printer cabinet includes a plurality of shelves disposed below a top wall, and has an openable door which moves into a storage position above the top wall to provide free access to the interior of the cabinet, with the door closing off the front of the cabinet when in a closed position. The upper shelf permits the printer to be mounted thereon, an intermediate shelf permits the stack of supply paper to be supported thereon, and a lower shelf permits collection thereon of the paper discharged from the printer.
In the improved printer cabinet of this invention, as briefly described above, at least the upper shelf is preferably horizontally slidably supported so that it can be moved outwardly from the cabinet. Each of the upper and middle shelves has a recess or slot adjacent the rear edge thereof to permit the paper to be vertically fed therethrough. The door, when in the closed position, preferably hangs downwardly so as to enclose the compartments disposed above both the upper and middle shelves so as to hide the printer and the supply paper, whereas the lower shelf is continuously open so as to permit ready inspection of the paper as discharged from the printer.